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This is one of my go-to recipes, one of those early recipes I devised out of leftovers which has since then given me the title of “Leftover Queen”. I have been thinking a lot lately about my food philosophy, where it came from and how I have become the kind of cook that I am. I am a cook born out of passion combined with necessity. I learned from an early age from my grandparents and my mom that leftovers can be a wonderful thing. I come from a big Italian extended family and so we were always cooking for large groups of people, which meant that we usually cooked more than was necessary which ultimately left us with a lot of leftovers.

It was a tradition in my mom’s house that when the fridge was too overwrought with leftover containers that we would have what we called a Smörgåsbord, which is actually a Swedish word meaning”sandwich table”, but has been translated into English vernacular to mean a buffet or variety of hot and cold dishes.

It was my favorite time of the week as I got to have little bites and tastes of all the foods I had enjoyed over the course of the last week, and it allowed to experiment with different flavor combinations- like mixing corn into mashed potatoes or combining various dishes together to create a completely new meal.

When I think back to how I became a Leftover Queen, this recipe (if I can even really call it that) is one of the ones that always comes up in my mind. It is the cousin to the Beans and Greens Saute. How are these two related? Well they both contain beans as the primary ingredient, but they also contain components that I always have in my pantry and that I usually have leftover of hanging around crying out to be used in a dish all their own hearkening back to the days of the Smörgåsbord.

I love sweet potatoes. Their beautiful orange color and the subtle sweetness of their flesh is just so delicious and versatile. This recipe of course has many incarnations depending on what is lying about and I will give you ideas of how to spice things up and change it up. But this is left to you to create your own dishes based on these key ingredients: sweet potaotes, black beans, onion, garlic and olive oil. The creativity is endless and entirely up to you!

METHOD:

Normally how I start this recipe is I cut up a sweet potato into bite sized chunks. I heat up a large skillet with about 3 TBS of olive oil and throw the potatoes in. While they are beginning to brown I cut up an onion a few cloves of garlic and bell peppers, if there are any to be had, then I throw them in with the potatoes. Once the potatoes have browned and softened and the onions, peppers and garlic are soft I add the black beans, some cumin, coriander, and chili powder. If there is any salsa lying about, I pour some of that in. You could also add some canned tomatoes of any variety if you choose or just leave it out all together. I cook it all together for a few more minutes and then serve it as is – perhaps with a garnish of fresh herbs – cilantro, basil or parsley go well.

But the point is, you can pretty much use anything you have around. This is rustic cooking at its finest. Making something wonderful out of very few ingredients. If you have white potatoes, use those, kidney beans, use them. Whatever you want. But most importantly you are giving new life to your leftovers and eating hearty, healthy and well!

In my mind sweet potatoes go with baked ham (my mother’s traditional Easter dinner) and I have a hard time doing anything else with them. But they are so good and good for me, I really need to expand me repetoire….except they are ‘tres cher’ here so maybe I’ll expand slightly…

It’s really versatile these black beans, isn’t it? Even in my home-country, Indonesia, they are often cooked with vegetables or tempeh (Indonesian fermented soya cakes). My Mum used to cook it with tofu and also with fish. In Sumatra, where she lives, the city is divided by a long river. Many poor people live on the side of the river and they are the people who usually catch fish. We often buy fresh fish which are sold in the traditional supermarket, still swimming in the gigantic drums. You can just point your fingers, then they’ll net them for you. They also can gut it for you with extra price, I suppose. These river fish are excellent cooked with black beans, chillies, shallots, garlic, ginger, galangal root, bay leaf, salt, and a little bit of sugar. Oh, now I am the one who’s missing home hehehe… Lovely post, Jen!!

Jenn, looks nice, but sounds even better. Sweet potatoes are so often ignored, except around the holidays. But they are so packed with great vitamins, etc. that I have been trying to use them in more dishes. The addition of black beans is such a great idea. I certainly will give this one a go!
Cheers!

Another triumph Jenn!!! Growing up my mom always seemed to make only enough for the 6 of us. We did have leftover potatoes and veggies at times. When I make potatoes even now I always make way too much intentionally so that I can have potato patties or potato pancakes, or, if they are not mashed Lumberjack Hash.

Hi Cynthia! Yes, I think you should ponder it. It was a great excersise for me. There are a lot of foodies out there and it is so fascinating to me to find out where they got their inspiration and it was time for me to start thinking about mine!

Hi Cara! That sounds like a lovely combination for a burrito!

Hi Katie! Wow, they are expensive in France? Amazing! Here they are so cheap it is silly! Let me know if you come up with any interesting combinations with that certain “je ne se quoi”!

Hi Amanda! Thank you! Yes, this is real comfort food for me!

Wow Arfi! That is such a great bit of story-teling there! I have got to get to Indonesia one of these days – especially for the markets! They sound FANTASTIC!

Hi Deb! Yes, please try it and let me know what you come up with! Sweet potatoes are so versatile and wonderful! Their splendor should not be ignored!

Hey Valli! Thanks! So what is lumberjack hash? Sounds hearty! Now you have me thinking….sweet potato pancakes sound like a wonderful idea! Probably very good with that Harissa I just made….Thanks Valli!

Oh, this sounds so good! I know what you mean about the fall mindset…I’m in south GA, so very much like your neck of the woods, we are usually in a perpetual state of summer, temperature wise, but yet there is still that need to change seasons and shift gears a bit, isn’t there? Thanks for sharing this recipe…I love sweet potatoes!

I love this recipe, Jenn, and your philosophy as well. I went back to it a few times and reread the post; it sounded better each time, so finally I made it. It was as pretty to look at as it was delicious. I added hot peppers to the black beans, also contributing to the “pretty” factor. Thanks for the delicious recipe; your blog is a treasure.

I’m a black bean foodi. This receipe sounds great. Reminds me of Black Bean and Pumpkin Chili recipe. By the way never, never, throw away those Holloween Pumpkins. They loaded with great vitiams, and make great soups, chili’s, veggie dishes, etc. similar to nutrients that are in the orange sweet potatoes.
Thanks for the recipe.

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Thank you so much for all your comments. I enjoy reading each and every single one of them. Please keep them coming because I do appreciate the feedback and I apologize that I can't respond to everyone individially. See you in the blogosphere!